Uganda’s Abayudaya Jews Dream of Aliyah
A community of observant Orthodox Jews in Uganda, with no genetic link to Israel, wants to make Aliyah.
15
Aug
26
May
Pot-Peddling Pensioners
In Israeli film Greener Pastures, retiree Dov gets a new lease on life when he begins selling surplus medical marijuana from his fellow nursing home residents on the black market.
14
Apr
The Jews Who Saved Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
“When I tell people that a Jewish family once owned Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello, their jaws drop,” says director Steven Pressman.
08
Feb
Rediscovering Majorca’s Jewish Past
Xueta Island is both a riveting portrayal of Rotstein’s quest to unearth and document Majorca’s rich, and tragic, Jewish history and an inspirational glimpse into attempts to revive Jewish life on the island.
13
Dec
A Coming-of-Age Adventure at Sea
When three teenage Maccabi Haifa soccer fans hear that their team’s upcoming Champions League Playoffs game against Liverpool FC will be moved from Israel to Cyprus, they are distraught. Unable to afford the $550 to buy an airplane ticket, they are nonetheless determined to see the match. So, they need to come up with a plan—fast.
02
Nov
Israel’s 2022 Oscar Submission: Let It be Morning
Based on the novel by Palestinian writer Sayed Kashua, Let It Be Morning is Israel’s official submission to next year’s 94th Academy Awards, in the “Best International Feature Film” category.
08
Oct
In ‘Honeymood,’ Wedding Night Balagan
In Honeymood, director Talya Lavie makes piercing observations about fraught relationships, family tensions, marital doubts, lingering affections for past loves and the challenges of long-term partnerships. Thrown into the mix is a mysterious ring with a sensitive past best kept secret—which, of course, it would not remain.
27
Aug
Scandinavian Morality During WWII
Passage to Sweden
Released January 27, 2021 (USA)
58 minutes
Directed by Suzannah Warlick
Bubble Soup Productions
Documentary, English
Why do countries behave so differently toward their religious and ethnic minorities? Are nations’ education systems so divergent that their citizens develop distinct moral codes? How much does leadership matter? Why do some ordinary people risk their lives to save others?
In her recently released documentary, Passage to Sweden, director, producer and writer Suzannah Warlick examines these vital questions through the prism of the little-known story of Scandinavian Jews’ (and those in Budapest who were rescued by Swedish national Raoul Wallenberg) widely differing experiences during World War II. Warlick shot 130 hours of material from which she has skillfully woven a treasure trove of archival film footage, photographs and interviews with people who lived in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Hungary through the war...
14
Jul
A Funeral Farce (Shiva Baby)
Shiva Baby
Released April 2, 2021 (USA)
1 hour 17 minutes
Directed by Emma Seligman
Neon Heart Productions
Comedy, English
When Danielle’s overbearing mother presses her into attending a shiva, a series of disasters converge over the span of several hours. Shiva Baby, directed by Emma Seligman, is a taut, finely scripted comedy in which emotional tensions, hidden secrets and discomforting personal interactions tumble out so swiftly that the audience is on tenterhooks wondering where this car crash will end.
Danielle, played by Rachel Sennott (High Maintenance, Call Your Mother), is a bisexual woman who has just graduated with a degree in gender business studies, but she is aimless and unemployed. She has told her parents that she has what she euphemistically calls a part-time “babysitting” job that, in reality, involves getting paid for sex with a married man.
Her parents’ desire for...
21
Jun
A Dog’s Eye View of the Holocaust
In her latest film review, Dina Gold discusses Shepherd: The Story of a Jewish Dog, which opened in movie theaters on May 28.